The nursery was tucked into a far corner of the castle, which wasn't too surprising. Back in the days when there were no stable borders among the kingdoms, Zeferia was under constant threat from her neighbors, so the castle was designed to keep the most vulnerable of its population well protected. While some people would have resented the long walk through labyrinthine corridors to get there, it helped Lina to feel secure about leaving the twins there.

What did surprise Lina was how plain the nursery was. With a hint of pride she noted that her nursery at Maninstit was more grand. Yet what it lacked in grandeur it made up for in functionality. And considering there were more babies there than at Maninstit, it likely needed to be. As soon as they entered with Zel, Amelia, Moe and all of their wet nurses save Marlena a tall, plump woman walked up to them and introduced herself as the head nanny.

Lina left Amelia to handle the courtesies as she walked over to a rocking chair with Aurelia, sat down and put her to the breast. Lina watched as Gourry scanned the room, and she knew him well enough to know that he was getting a feel for how safe the room was. Eventually he handed Midas to a wet nurse moved to stand beside Lina, but as he drew closer Lina felt herself tense as she realized he was in one of those moods as he asked in that tone, "Do you think we've rested enough?"

"I have to feed Rails. And once she's full we have to pay our respects to the Eternal Queen first." Lina said. "Courtesy."

"I see." He muttered as he folded his arms across his chest and looked unusually stony.

"Look, the Ceiphied Knights are organizing a search. We were asked to take a break and get settled in. I'm fine taking some time to rest and let someone else handle it but if you're not and you want to break the rules a little and find Trudy ourselves then I'll join you."

But Lina really, really did not want to go after Trudy. She was still exhausted from birthing and learning how to raise a baby and she still had not fully recovered her energy. The thought of wandering through the woods as the day grew colder and turned to night and meeting and fighting Gourry's sister was not something she wanted to do. It felt as though no matter how hard she fought there was always another fire to put out. And if she was honest with herself, she'd wanted the luxury of sitting one out since Luke had merged with Shabranigdu. But Milgasea, and later Gourry himself, had compelled her to fight and she'd had to live with his blood on her hands ever since.

She also didn't want Gourry to have to face and live with a similar burden. And she definitely didn't want this when her babies were so small. Part of Lina wished she could go back in time and tell Luna and the Eternal Queen no when they offered her Maninstit. Her life would have been more of a financial struggle but she would have had more freedom, and potentially at least a month to just be a mother.

And while it was a relief for Lina to have an excuse to kick up her feet and let someone else handle things, it was becoming more apparent that Gourry felt differently. Given that Gertrude was his sister she couldn't blame him too much. But…

"Well thanks for that." Gourry muttered.

Red flashed before her eyes as her hand balled into a fist. Damn, she hated it when he got this way! Lina fought down her own irritation and impulse to tell him to just go after Trudy if it was bothering him that much. But Gourry was never one to risk other people's displeasure by going against orders and then asking for forgiveness. He would stew and huff and mutter under his breath while she would quickly lose patience.

"If you're going to be like this, then do it somewhere I don't have to see it." Lina snapped. "Our daughter soaks this all up you know."

Gourry shook his head and stalked off to the far corner of the nursery as Lina took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Aurelia moved her fist higher on her chest, and it felt as though the tiny weight was pinning her to the rocking chair. Lina noticed Amelia walk over to her and she hoped she had noticed something and would let her vent. Instead the princess said, "Zel and I are going to check in with the Eternal Queen."

"We'll catch up once I get this one topped off." Lina said as neutrally as possible. Amelia smiled, and then linked arms with Zelgadis as they waved goodbye to Justina and walked off. And Lina wanted to throw something at them for being so happy and coupley when she was mad at Gourry.

Ace stumbled over her words as she started to chant a Resurrection spell. Eventually she fell into a rhythm and she hoped she had not lost precious seconds in her panic. She was terrified to check to see if Gertrude was alive or not. A Resurrection spell wouldn't work on a corpse. But she had to believe it wasn't that bad! That she hadn't killed someone! Cuchulain, Pippi and Dave crowded round as they watched, and as Ace desperately searched for a sign that Gertrude's skin was regrowing she wondered if she had just gotten all of them kicked out of the school. Or worse, perhaps they would be jailed and sent to the Elmekian Empire as punishment for killing their empress. Doomsday scenario after doomsday scenario echoed and amplified in her mind as she searched for some sign that everything would be okay.

How was she going to explain this to Duke Zelgadis? He had taken her under his wing and she couldn't fathom letting him down. She had been so sure that she could pull this off without a hitch! And then she thought about explaining to Sir Gourry that she had killed his sister. While all of the students had born the brunt of Dame Lina's or Duke Zelgadis's anger once, getting a rise out of Sir Gourry seemed impossible. The one time anyone of them could remember seeing him angry was with his mother, and the memory of that told Ace that she did not want to be on the receiving end of it. And while, like most of the students in the school she was sure that he had not killed her, as she frantically worked to heal Gertrude, she started to wonder, what if I was wrong?

Was it Ace's imagination? A desperate wish her eyes willed her to see? Or was Trudy's skin becoming less red? Ace continued to chant and started to hope that it would not be in vain. And then Pippi said, "It's growing back!"

Ace started to relax as a new layer of skin formed around Gertrude, who eventually moaned, though she did not wake. Finally she was healed. The four students looked at each other, expressions of relief upon each of their faces, and Cuchulain said, "I'll carry her to the castle."

"I'll get the coat." Dave said, "We don't want to leave it lying around."

"But…" Pippi said as she stared at the forest floor, "Where did it go?"

After Aurelia's feeding, Lina handed her to Moe, relieved that they had quite a few of their staff here. While Lina was sure that the staff of the royal nursery was composed of the most trustworthy people that the Eternal Queen could find, Moe had proven his devotion to keeping her children safe, and because of that it was easier for her to leave the twins in a strange place than it otherwise would have been.

Gourry fell in place beside her as they walked to the Eternal Queen's receiving room, and the silence between them was not pleasant. But that was the least of Lina's worries. Her stomach fluttered a bit as she wondered if news of the royal scandal that they had uncovered had reached the Queen.

When they arrived at the receiving room, Amelia and Zelgadis were there, sipping tea and nibbling on biscuits. "Any word on the fiasco in the foyer?" Lina asked as she sat down.

"Not yet." Amelia said.

"How about my sister?" Gourry asked as Lina poured them each a cup of tea.

"No. Luna has been busy organizing the knights. Harold's mad that she rushed to do this rather than spend some time with the boys." Amelia said.

Lina exhaled, though she felt a bit better that she wasn't the only one in the castle who was mad at their other half, then she took a sip of her tea, "So I'll give her a wide berth."

The door to the Eternal Queen's office opened and she walked into the reception room. The group got to their feet as they acknowledged her. When she indicated they could sit they did, and she joined them at the table. "I heard that your trip was adventurous."

"Unfortunately." Lina said.

"I trust Luna is taking care of it."

"I would like to help." Gourry said. "She is my sister."

"Naturally." The Eternal Queen said, "When the current group we have sent out returns you can go out with the next one."

"I'd like to go out sooner." Gourry insisted, and Lina's anger abated slightly. At least he was standing up for himself rather than moping.

"Me as well." Zelgadis added, "I have some ideas on how to help."

"Given the nature of our suspicions about Empress Gertrude, the Knights are planning to attack anything they find off the main roads and in the forest and to subdue and ask questions later." The Eternal Queen said, "If we send the two of you out now you would be putting yourself, our Knights, and ultimately Empress Gertrude in more danger."

Gourry's face set again as his hands tightened around the teacup. But Zelgadis spoke for both of them when he said, "I can't argue with that."

"We are doing everything we can." The Eternal Queen said, "and soon you will be able to help as well. I know how agonizing waiting can be."

"Thank you, your majesty." Lina said.

"And so I hear that Marlena has returned." The Eternal Queen said.

Lina preemptively stepped on Gourry's foot as she hoped that the Eternal Queen would not directly ask her whether or not she had put two and two together. Amelia said diplomatically, "That sounds like a delicate situation."

"It need not have been." The Eternal Queen said as she stirred her tea. "Given my longevity and the remote chances of Safyr or her descendants inheriting the throne I told Safyr there was no reason to hide the fact that she was barren. Safyr's husband had had a dalliance with Marlena and had gotten her pregnant. Marlena was in no position to keep them on her own. Safyr easily could have saved face and said she was a surrogate but she decided to pretend as though she herself had carried them. And now the truth spills out in this ugly fashion."

Even though she had just fed Aurelia, Lina shifted as she felt her breasts leak a little at the thought of having to hand her babies over to someone else to raise, and to her alarm she felt a pressure build beneath her eyes, and before she knew it she was struggling against tears. Lina wondered how willingly Marlena had agreed to giving up her babies but remained silent, even as she locked eyes with Amelia from across the table and realized that she was having a similar struggle.

If the Eternal Queen noticed, she did not betray it as she took a long sip of her tea as someone knocked at the door. "Come in." The Eternal Queen said.

"I'm sorry for the intrusion, your majesty," a page said, "But several students have returned from the woods with Empress Gertrude."

"What!?" Gourry exclaimed as he shot up, nearly toppling the table as he did. "How is she?"

"Unconscious."

"Take me to her." Gourry demanded as he crossed the room in a few paces.

Lina was on his heels, as were Amelia, Zelgadis and the Eternal Queen. They followed the page to the wing of the castle where their rooms were, as well as the rooms of other important visitors, and turned into an apartment that must have been reserved for the Empress of the Elmekian Empire. When they entered the sitting room Ace, Cuchulain, Dave and Pippi were already seated, looking pleased with themselves as they helped themselves to a tray of snacks set before them.

"Where's Trudy?" Gourry asked.

"A healer is tending to her in the bedroom. We're not to go in until she's done." Ace explained.

"But…what happened? The coat?"

At first all four of the students talked at once and it was impossible to make a single word out. "Hold it!" Lina yelled, and then she pointed at Cuchulain, "Status update on Empress Gertrude."

Cuchulain explained about how the coat had corrupted Gertrude's mental facilities and how she had attacked them, and then how Ace had used the Humu Sepat spell to tear the coat from her after they had subdued her. He finished with how they'd gotten her back to the castle after Ace's healing spell but that she hadn't woken up.

Gourry collapsed into a chair as he put his hands to his forehead in obvious relief as Lina nodded and then scowled, "Now that that is out of the way, what were you doing, leaving the castle and going into the forest?"

"That's on me." Ace said, "I just kept thinking about how it's been a month since your babies have been born, and it's just been one crisis after another. And I thought we could help."

Gourry looked up and his eyes watered a bit, and Lina could see that he was genuinely touched as he asked. "Really?"

"Well yeah. I mean we were picked for this school because we're gifted. I felt we should hold our weight a little and take care of this brush fire, let you rest for a change." Ace said.

Zelgadis shifted his weight as he folded his arms across his chest and looked stern while Amelia looked just as touched as Gourry. And while Lina had a feeling there was more to Ace's motivations, such as the desire of an ambitious young person to prove herself, in that moment she was so relieved that Gourry would not have to face some hard decisions with his sister and that someone other than her had taken care of it that she was grateful. She smiled and clasped Ace on the shoulder, "Well done. And thank you."

"Yes, thank you." Gourry echoed as Lina felt the tension melt between Gourry and her as well.

The door to Gertrude's bedroom opened and a healer stepped out. Gourry stood up and asked, "How is she?"

"Still unconscious. But stable." The healer said, "Time will tell if she gets better or worsens. She will either wake or she won't. And it's hard to tell what long term effects, if any, there are as a result of her ordeal. Her mind still may be lost, or it may recover."

Gourry nodded and then asked, "Can I see her?"

"Who are you?" the healer asked.

"I'm Gourry, her brother."

"Alright then." The healer said, "Talking to her will probably help."

"I'll come with you." Lina said as she stood up and took his hand, and together they walked with the healer into Gertrude's room.

Once the door was closed, Zelgadis glared at Ace. "What did I say about the Humu Sepat spell?"

"That it was too risky." Ace shot back without having the decency to looked abashed.

"So you go and tell some sob story about wanting to help us…"

"I did want to help you!" Ace snapped. "We all did!"

"Did you?" Zelgadis asked, "Or did you just want to try it your way no matter the cost?"

"There was no way we were going to be able to knock her out!" Ace said, "I tried a sleep spell. Cuchulain tried several maneuvers, and Dave hit her over the head hard enough to fracture her skull. There was no doing it your way!"

"You didn't try potions…"

"Right, 'cuz she would have stayed real still while we poured it down her throat." Ace snapped. "Look, you weren't there. We were! This was the safest option for everyone."

Amelia put a hand on Zelgadis's shoulder and he took a deep breath, "The point was for me to be there. I am your teacher."

"And I kept all that you taught me in mind." Ace said. "I really did. And it worked."

"We don't know that. For that we will have to see if the Empress wakes up and how her mental state is. So don't get too far ahead of yourself."

"Well," Dave butted in, "It's not like we even know if that's possible, I mean the coat may have already destroyed it…"

Dave's voice trailed off under the look Zelgadis gave him, "And another thing, The Eternal Queen had sent out a group of Ceiphied Knights. You could have gotten in their way and made things even worse!"

"But that didn't happen." Ace maintained.

"Thank goodness for dumb luck. One more thing, though." Zelgadis said. "What happened to the coat?"

The four students shared an uneasy look as Ace admitted, "It disappeared while we were healing her."

"What!?' Zelgadis asked.

"How does a coat just disappear?" Amelia asked.

The group shrugged, "We were all distracted, wondering if Ace could heal her." Pippi said. "And once she was healed we looked around and realized it was gone."

Zelgadis threw his arms up and turned around as Amelia shook her head, "So a dangerous coat is just wandering around the forest for all we know."

"We can go look for it." Ace offered.

"No." The Eternal Queen said as she stepped forward and said, "If a coat can disappear under the noses of four people then it doesn't want to be found. Undoubtedly it will turn up at some point, but that is a trial for another day. You four may go. Have a bite to eat, freshen up. And stay within the castle."

"Right, your majesty." They said as they left.

Once the door had closed behind them the Eternal Queen said, "Bear in mind, this is why these students were chosen. We wanted people who would take the initiative in dangerous situations."

"I just expected more from someone I spent so much time mentoring." Zelgadis said.

"There is a time when every apprentice takes a path their teacher does not approve of." The Eternal Queen said, "And the loss of control for the teacher can be hard to stomach."

"You think this is about control?" Zelgadis said.

"And the competition between your way and her way. But it's not a competition. It's a meld." The Eternal Queen said.

An awkward silence filled the air as Amelia rubbed Zelgadis's back. At last the Eternal Queen said, "If you'll excuse me, I want to check in on Safyr, Adora and Adam."

"Of course." Amelia said, and she felt relief once she left and it was just her and Zel in the sitting room.

Gourry was a bit shocked when he saw Trudy looking unusually frail in bed. The spell that had removed the coat had also left her bald and she looked unusually small and weak in the oversized bed. "Talking to her will help." The healer said.

"I don't know what to say." Gourry said. "We've never been close."

He wasn't even sure if Trudy could be trusted. He knew that he wanted Trudy to be a good person. That he wanted other blood relatives he could be proud of. But as he had to learn time and again when it came to his family, wanting did not make it so. He had to look at the evidence. And in this case there was not enough evidence to say either way.

Lina put a hand on his arm, and then she pulled up a chair and said, "Good thing I can talk enough for the both of us."

Gourry sat beside Lina and grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss. "I'm sorry about earlier."

"Good." Lina said, but she squeezed his hand affirmingly and he wondered how he could have so callously disregarded her words about fighting by his side. He may not know where his blood stood, but he knew where she did.

And as Lina started chatting as though Trudy were hanging onto every word, an old doubt started to creep into Gourry's mind as he wondered if he truly deserved all that he had now and if he was destined to lose it all.